Once my lovely goddaughter Nata invited us over for dinner...

We arrived, hungry and full of high expectations, when she smiled sweetly and announced:
"Tonight, it’s vegetarian."

My first instinct? To fake a sudden toothache and gracefully retreat. I mean, I love meat. Love. The idea of dinner without it felt like dancing without music. But I stayed, charmed by Nata’s twinkle - and oh, how glad I am I did.

Because what she served that night completely disarmed me: roasted eggplant boats with spicy chickpeas and silky tahini dressing.

Here’s the dish that turned a meat lover into an eggplant enthusiast.

Eggplant, actually!

Eggplant boats with spicy chickpeas & tahini dressing

Serves 4 hungry people or 2 with very good appetites.

Ingredients

Eggplant Boats:

• 2 eggplants

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 red peppers

• 1 tray of San Marzano tomatoes (or whatever's juicy and ripe)

• 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley

• 50 g good feta cheese

Spicy Chickpeas:

• 200 g chickpeas (soaked and boiled or canned—no judgment)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp garam masala or chili powder (depending on your mood)

• 1 tsp salt

Tahini Dressing (approx. 2.5 dl):

• 50 g salted tahini

• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 0.5 dl water (add slowly to get that silky swirl)

How to cook

1. The Boats:

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Slice those eggplants in half and score their flesh diagonally in both directions to create a diamond pattern.
Tuck thin garlic slices into the grooves. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and pop into the oven for 25–30 minutes.

2. The Peppers:

Meanwhile, slice red peppers into strips and let them sizzle gently in a pan over low heat for about 10 minutes. They’ll become sweet, soft, and totally irresistible.

Chop your tomatoes into quarters and give the parsley a loving rough chop.

3. The Chickpeas

Toss the chickpeas in a bag with olive oil, garam masala (or chili), and salt. Shake it like you're mixing a cocktail.
Spread them out on a baking tray and roast for 25 minutes at 200°C until they’re golden and crispy.

4. The Dressing

Whisk tahini with lemon juice until it thickens.
Add grated garlic, then whisk in water bit by bit until it’s creamy.
Season with salt and pepper. Taste.

To Serve:

Place the roasted eggplants on plates like the stars they are.
Top with peppers, crispy chickpeas, tomatoes, a sprinkle of parsley, and a crumble of good feta.
Drizzle generously with tahini dressing and prepare for applause.